Red Sox legend David Ortiz is entering the final week of his final regular season. But before Big Papi heads into his last postseason, he's determined to set all kinds of new records.
Ortiz progressed toward that goal earlier in the week, topping the single-season mark for most home runs by a player aged 40 or older. On Friday, Ortiz hit this massive home run that had historical significance:
Foremost, Ortiz broke the record for most runs batted in during a farewell season -- a record previously held by Shoeless Joe Jackson:
124 RBI (and counting) for @davidortiz this season.
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) September 23, 2016
He passes Shoeless Joe Jackson for the most RBI in a final season (since 1920). pic.twitter.com/g7DQoR3Syh
Obviously the circumstances are different -- Jackson's was departure wasn't voluntary -- but whatever.
Another nice accomplishment by Ortiz? Tying, then surpassing, Lou Gehrig for the 10th-most extra-base hits all-time, with 1,190 -- a mark that puts him in position to move up a little more in the coming week:
Rank | Player | XBH |
7 | Albert Pujols | 1,207 |
t-8 | Ken Griffey Jr. | 1,192 |
t-8 | Rafael Palmeiro | 1,192 |
10 | David Ortiz | 1,191 |
11 | Lou Gehrig | 1,190 |
All and all, it's been a nice week for Ortiz's record-book chase. Expect better in the next week.